Get the appListening To The Word - 1 YearSample
Pride and Selfish Ambition
Philippians 2:3
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”
Ministry and missions are not exempt from selfish ambition or vain conceit simply because of their category of vocation. When selfish ambition motivates us, we treat people as tools to accomplish our vision. With selfish ambition, we have not yet experienced the daily discipline of yielding to the Spirit and dying to self. Self is very much in control and ministry success feeds that ambitious self. Pride or vain conceit keeps us from seeing our ambition as a problem, and actually makes God our enemy. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humility elevates others and considers their feelings, hopes and pain, not just our own. Jesus will put to death, selfish ambition and vain conceit if we will repent and surrender all to him. To walk and live in the Jesus way requires us to daily pray, ‘not my will, but your will be done.’
Lord Jesus, thank you for exposing selfish ambition and vain conceit in my life. I humble myself before you and others, and I choose to surrender my will to you again today.
Philippians 2:3
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”
Ministry and missions are not exempt from selfish ambition or vain conceit simply because of their category of vocation. When selfish ambition motivates us, we treat people as tools to accomplish our vision. With selfish ambition, we have not yet experienced the daily discipline of yielding to the Spirit and dying to self. Self is very much in control and ministry success feeds that ambitious self. Pride or vain conceit keeps us from seeing our ambition as a problem, and actually makes God our enemy. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humility elevates others and considers their feelings, hopes and pain, not just our own. Jesus will put to death, selfish ambition and vain conceit if we will repent and surrender all to him. To walk and live in the Jesus way requires us to daily pray, ‘not my will, but your will be done.’
Lord Jesus, thank you for exposing selfish ambition and vain conceit in my life. I humble myself before you and others, and I choose to surrender my will to you again today.
About this Plan
Join Randy Friesen as he follows the Bible reading plan of the Life Journal and shares his reflections with you. Each entry includes three parts: a highlighted passage from the reading, a brief reflection, and a prayer. We trust that you will be inspired by the messages that God is speaking through his Word.
More
We would like to thank Randy Friesen, VIce President for Leadership Development with Global Disciples, for providing this plan. For more information about Global Disciples, please visit www.globaldisciples.org
